Gathering in the Darkness
A novel by Feather Book 1 of my Dawn of my Clans Series. Gathering in the Darkness Enjoy! Chapter 1 Falling Snow pounced on a reed while it was moving to and fro. His littermate, Minnow Splash, was playing mossball with the other kits. His father, Riverstar, was watching proudly at his kits. "Riverstar! Riverstar!" Falling Snow bounded up to his father. "Play with me! Play with me!" "Okay," Riverstar crouched down and snarled. "I'm a fox! I'm gonna eat you!" "I'm not scared of you, you dung-faced fox!" Falling Snow leapt at his father and batted his paws against his belly. "Oh, no!" Riverstar groaned playfully. "The great warrior has taken me down!" "Riverstar!" Falling Snow paused as he heard the Clan deputy, Drifting Ice, was calling to his father. He slowly and cautiously scrambled down from his father's shoulders. I know cats don't technically have shoulders but I'm just gonna put shoulders in because why not. "Hold on, son," Riverstar mewed in his cool, calming voice. "I'll be back." Wacthing his father pad to his successor, Falling Snow's ears drooped sadly. "It'll be okay," Night, Falling Snow and Minnow Splash's mother, padded up behind her white son. "Your father will come back to play with you." Falling Snow nodded and bounded over to where Minnow Splash was playing with the kits of Hailee, a rogue cat who had died before turning her kits into RiverClan. The three healthy kits were named Eagle Claw, Burnt Heather and Frosty Leaf. "Can I play?" Falling Snow asked as he watched the moss ball rolling in the clearing. "No!" Minnow Splash, Eagle Claw and Burnt Heather exclaimed bossily while Frosty Leaf mewed, "Of course you can!" "But Frostly Leaf!" Eagle Claw hissed, his tail twitching angrily. "Falling Snow is clumsy! He'll never play games properly and he won't be able to hunt as well!" Falling Snow's eyes glazed with hurt as he bit back tears. "Shut up, Eagle Claw!" Frosty Leaf hissed, her green eyes sparkling with defiance. "I'' don't think Falling Snow's ''that clumsy. I think he's great!" "You're just saying that because you like him!" Burnt Heather lashed her claws at Frosty Leaf's muzzle. Frosty Leaf leapt back in surprise. Falling Snow looked pleadingly at his sister, who stood and watched with a twisted snarl on her face. "Dung-face!" Minnow Splash yowled. "My brother's just a stupid fish-brain! Why would you want to play with him?" Frosty Leaf shrank back into the reeds behind her. Minnow Splash raised a paw to scratch her. Falling Snow ran up to his sister. "Stop!" Minnow Splash froze then hissed, "Out of my way, weakling." Falling Snow glared at his sister. "Don't hurt your Clanmates," he snarled. "Frosty Leaf was only defending me. Why make such a big deal out of it?" "I told you to get out of my way!" Minnow Splash's claws raked deep into Falling Snow's cheek. He whimpered and writhed in the ground. Frosty Leaf ran up to Falling Snow and started to lick his face clean. "Thanks," he murmured. Frosty Leaf nodded. Turning to the other kits she hissed, "If you want us to leave RiverClan, then we'll go. We'll go somewhere you'll never find us!" Admiring her courage, Falling Snow followed Frosty Leaf to the nursery. Chapter 2 "Are we really leaving RiverClan?" Falling Snow asked Frosty Leaf as they walked out of the medicine cat den. "We will in our own time," Frosty Leaf replied. "Rest now." Falling Snow nodded and padded to the nursery and sank into the nest he shared with Night and Minnow Splash. ... Falling Snow ran. He ran until his path was blocked by a tree. "Stupid tree!" the young kit yowled. Suddenly, the darkness that surrounded Falling Snow disappeared - and the white kit found himself staring up at a transparent cat with green eyes. "What the-?" Falling Snow suddenly felt panicked. "Where am I?" "StarClan, young leader," the transparent cat mewed in a voice which was edged with the warmth of fire. "Leader?" Falling Snow was baffled. "I'm not important. My littermate says I'm stupid!" "Minnow Splash is a fool," the transparent cat hissed. "I will tell you what your future holds." Falling Snow sat up. "Okay." "I'm Arc, your father's mentor before he was a rogue." The transparent cat licked his faint black fur. "When he was a Cat of the Park?" Falling Snow's eyes widened. Riverstar had told him that he had lived happily as a Park Cat named Ripple before he came to the river - now RiverClan. "Yes," Arc murmured, his eyes glazed with sadness. "I wish I could speak to him again." "I'll tell him I saw you," Falling Snow piped up. "Thanks!" Arc's eyes brightened. "Anyways.. I have to tell you something." "What is it?" Falling Snow demanded, remembering the important thing at once. "Meet with these cats at Fourtrees next moon," Arc told him, padding to a group of four young cats. "Blazing Fire of ShadowClan." Arc nodded at the dark ginger tabby she-cat. "Diamond of ThunderClan." Arc used his tail to point at the grey tabby tom. "Dark Sky of SkyClan." Arc nodded at the tom with black fur. "And Whispering Air of WindClan." Arc pointed his tail at the light cream she-cat. Falling Snow gaped. "Hello," Blazing Fire greeted Falling Snow. Turning to Arc, she mewed, "Why are we to meet?" "Because you will leave and go find a new place to live - and make the New Clans," Arc announced. "You will leave when all of you are senior apprentices." The five cats nodded. "StarClan will watch over you forever," Arc mewed as Falling Snow's vision blurred... Chapter 3